Handle assemblies with oscillator assemblies contained therein and teeth cleaning systems that utilize the same

ABSTRACT

A teeth cleaning system, which provides improved coverage or brushing area. The system includes an actuated tray comprises brushing elements. The brushing elements may be positioned to engage the front, rear, and top surfaces of the upper and lower jaw teeth. The actuation may be configured to oscillate the tray in a lateral direction which may brush all the surfaces of teeth simultaneously. Some embodiments include a higher density of bristles which increases the effectiveness of brushing. In addition, aspects of the system reduce the time spent brushing teeth.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/919,978, filed Jul. 2, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/942,409, filed Dec. 2, 2019, each ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject disclosure relates to brushing, scrubbing, and generalcleaning, and more particularly, to implements which concurrently brushplural tooth surfaces.

BACKGROUND

The field of teeth cleaning includes a number of approaches to brushingteeth. In the very basic, conventional approach is to provide a manuallyoperated single brush head which the user applies to a single tooth ortwo overlapping teeth at a time until the user moves on.

Other approaches use electric powered toothbrushes in response to theineffective approach of manual toothbrushes. Some electric toothbrushespower a single head in either a rotary motion (where the brush headspins) or in a reciprocating motion. Still, the single brush headapproach requires time to apply the brush to each tooth.

Some devices have proposed multiple toothbrush heads but are limited intheir effectiveness because of choice in the range of motion which forsome is, for example, along an axis into and out of the user's mouth. Asmay be seen, this may be ineffective because the direction of brushingdoes not follow the front face of the front teeth, which are the teethmost visible to others. Still yet, the rear surface of the front teethmay likewise be generally missed by such an approach.

In some instances, conventional brushing devices lack enough bristles toadequately reach each tooth surface simultaneously.

As can be seen, there is a need for a device that improves the coverageof teeth and thereby reduces the amount of time it takes.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the disclosure, a teeth cleaning system is disclosed.The system comprises: an arcuate tray configured to receive a set ofteeth, wherein the tray includes: an inner arcuate wall, an outerarcuate wall, a baffle positioned transversely across between an innersurface of the outer arcuate wall and an inner surface of the innerarcuate wall and defining an upper channel for receiving teeth of anupper jaw and defining a lower channel for receiving teeth of a lowerjaw, and a plurality of bristles positioned in the upper channel and inthe lower channel; a handle; a connector, wherein the arcuate tray iscoupled to the handle by the connector; a motor coupled to the handle;and an oscillator coupled to the connector, wherein the oscillator isconfigured to move the arcuate tray side-to-side along the same plane asthe baffle in response to operation of the motor.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a teeth cleaning system isdisclosed which, comprises: an arcuate tray configured to receive a setof teeth, wherein the tray includes: an inner arcuate wall, an outerarcuate wall, a baffle positioned transversely across between an innersurface of the outer arcuate wall and an inner surface of the innerarcuate wall and defining an upper channel for receiving teeth of anupper jaw and defining a lower channel for receiving teeth of a lowerjaw, and a plurality of bristles positioned in the upper channel and inthe lower channel, wherein the plurality of bristles comprises a densityof between 324 bristles per cm²—646 bristles per cm²; a handle; aconnector, wherein the arcuate tray is coupled to the handle by theconnector; and a motor coupled to the handle, wherein operation of themotor brushes the teeth of the upper jaw and brushes the teeth of thelower jaw.

In yet another aspect of the disclosure a teeth cleaning system isdisclosed which, comprises: an arcuate tray configured to receive a setof teeth, wherein the tray includes: an inner arcuate wall, an outerarcuate wall, a baffle positioned transversely across between an innersurface of the outer arcuate wall and an inner surface of the innerarcuate wall and defining an upper channel for receiving teeth of anupper jaw and defining a lower channel for receiving teeth of a lowerjaw, and a plurality of bristles positioned in the upper channel and inthe lower channel, wherein the plurality of bristles comprise a densitybetween 324 bristles per cm²—646 bristles per cm², herein a top surfaceof the baffle and a bottom surface of the baffle, the inner surface ofthe inner arcuate wall, and the inner surface of the outer arcuate walleach include a plurality of receptacles and wherein the plurality ofbristles are positioned in bundles in respective receptacles; a handle;a connector, wherein the arcuate tray is coupled to the handle by theconnector; a motor coupled to the handle, wherein operation of the motorbrushes the teeth of the upper jaw and brushes the teeth of the lowerjaw; and an oscillator coupled to the connector, wherein the oscillatoris configured to move the arcuate tray side-to-side along a same planeas the baffle in response to operation of the motor.

It is understood that other configurations of the subject technologywill become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description, wherein various configurations of thesubject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. Aswill be realized, the subject technology is capable of other anddifferent configurations and its several details are capable ofmodification in various other respects, all without departing from thescope of the subject technology. Accordingly, the drawings and detaileddescription are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not asrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a teeth cleaning system in accordancewith an aspect of the subject technology.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a tray piece of the system of FIG. 1in accordance with an aspect of the subject technology.

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the tray of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 is a top view of the tray of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 5 is a side view of the tray of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of the tray of FIG. 2 with bristlesremoved.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the tray of FIG. 2 with bristles removed.

FIG. 8 is a connector side end view of the tray of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a motorized handle of the system of FIG.1 in accordance with an aspect of the subject technology.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the handle of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 11 is a side view of the handle of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 12 is a bottom perspective view of the handle of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 13 is a perspective, internal view of motorized elements in thehandle of FIG. 9 in accordance with an aspect of the subject technology.

FIG. 14 is a front view of the handle of FIG. 13 .

FIG. 15 is a partial front view of the handle of FIG. 13 with anenlarged view of an oscillator system and depicting a side-to-sideoscillating motion of a shaft in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of the oscillator system of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a bottom perspective view of a guide plate and shaft assemblyin the oscillator system shown in FIG. 15 .

FIG. 18 is a top perspective view of a cam system in the oscillatorsystem of FIG. 15 .

FIG. 19 is a top perspective view of a motor driving the oscillatorsystem of FIG. 15 with the cam system removed.

FIG. 20 is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a cam interface in theoscillator system of FIG. 18 according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofvarious configurations of the subject technology and is not intended torepresent the only configurations in which the subject technology may bepracticed. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitutea part of the detailed description. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof the subject technology. However, it will be apparent to those skilledin the art that the subject technology may be practiced without thesespecific details. Like or similar components are labeled with identicalelement numbers for ease of understanding.

In general, exemplary embodiments of the subject technology provide acleaning system for teeth that provides improved coverage area and animproved range of motion to more effectively brush teeth with motorizedactuation. It will be appreciated that, aspects of the system include anarrangement of bristles that provide greater bristle density than inprevious systems. The greater density covers more tooth surfaces to bebrushed. The system includes a motor to automatically actuate thebrushing features. The system may automatically brush all tooth surfacesduring operation. Another aspect contributing to the improved brushingperformance includes the motion of actuation used in some embodiments.The system may be configured to actuate the brushing in a side-to-siderange of movement, which may be more natural to users.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , a teeth cleaning system 100 (referred togenerally as the “system 100”) is shown according to an exemplaryembodiment. The system 100 generally includes a tray assembly 110(referred to sometimes as “tray 110”) and a handle assembly 150(sometimes referred to as the “handle 150”). As will be described infurther detail below, the handle assembly 150 is motorized. The tray 110is connected to the handle 150 so that the tray 110 is actuated to brusha user's teeth. In general use, the tray assembly 110 may be insertedinto a user's mouth (not shown) axially along an axis “a”. The axis “a”represents the line or plane that extends from the bottom of the handle150 to front of the tray assembly 110 and is generally in the directionof insertion. When the handle 150 is operated, the motor element(described below) may actuate the tray assembly 110 laterally (relativeto the axis “a”) along an axis “I”. For example, the left and rightsides of the tray 110 may move toward the left and right sides of thehandle 150.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-8 , the tray assembly 110 is shown according toan exemplary embodiment. The tray 110 may be generally arcuate toloosely index to the shape of a user's jaw. In an exemplary embodiment,the tray 110 may include an outer arcuate wall 115 and an inner arcuatewall 145. In some embodiments, a baffle 135 may be positionedtransversely to span across between an inner surface 120 of the outerarcuate wall 115 and an inner surface 125 of the inner arcuate wall 145.The baffle 135 may follow the general arcuate shape of the tray 110. Insome embodiments, the baffle 135 may be parallel to the plane of theaxis “I” and transverse to the axis “a” (see FIG. 2 ). The arrangementof the baffle 135 between the outer arcuate wall 115 and the innerarcuate wall 145 may define an upper arcuate channel for receiving teethof an upper jaw and may define an arcuate lower channel for receivingteeth of a lower jaw in use. A plurality of brushing elements 130 ispositioned in the channels of the tray assembly 110. The brushingelements 130 may be for example bristles (sometimes referred to as“bristle-hairs” or “strands”). In some embodiments, the bristles may befor example, nylon, microfiber, sponge, organic sponge, fabric, rubber,silicone, or bamboo.

In some embodiments, the outer arcuate wall 115, the inner arcuate wall145, and the top and bottom surfaces of the baffle 135 include aplurality of receptacles (holes) (FIGS. 6 and 7 ). Each of thereceptacles may be configured to hold a bundle of bristles 130. The freeends of bristles 130 may be arranged to contact the anterior, posterior,and top surfaces of each tooth (as well as reach in between teeth andgums). In some embodiments, the bundles of bristles projecting from theinner surface 120 of the outer arcuate wall 115 and from the innersurface 125 of the inner arcuate wall 145 may project at an acute anglerelative to the plane of the upper/lower surface of the baffle 135. Inoperation, as the tray 100 is actuated, the bristles 130 on the baffle135 brush the top surfaces of teeth. The bristles on the inner surface120 of the outer arcuate wall 115 and from the inner surface 125 of theinner arcuate wall 145 brush the anterior and posterior surfaces ofteeth. The angle of the bristles on the inner surface 120 of the outerarcuate wall 115 and from the inner surface 125 of the inner arcuatewall 145 promote brushing along the height of a tooth'santerior/posterior face. In some embodiments, the bristles 130 on theinnermost and outermost rows of the baffle 135 may partially overlapwith the bristles 130 (on the rows closest to the baffle 135) on theinner surface 120 of the outer arcuate wall 115 and of the inner surface125 of the inner arcuate wall 145.

In an exemplary embodiment, the bristles may be arranged in a density ofapproximately 42 bristles per hole and 452.4 bristle-hairs per squarecentimeter. Embodiments may vary the bristle density between 324bristles per cm²—646 bristles per cm². As will be understood, thedensity of bristles may vary depending on factors such as bristles perhole, number of holes, spacing of holes, diameter of holes, and diameterof bristle strands used. For example, in embodiments that use softerbristles with thinner strand diameters than the embodiment with 42bristles per hole, there may be approximately 84 bristles per hole whichyields approximately the same density but with a softer brush rating.Similarly, embodiments using firmer bristles with thicker stranddiameters may use 24 bristles per hole to achieve the same density.Accordingly, the bristle density may be manipulated by increasing ordecreasing the strand diameter and/or the number of strands per hole. Inaddition, the other aforementioned factors (relating to hole position,size, and spacing) may be manipulated to generate a bristle densitywithin the disclosed range. For example, more empty areas between holesmay require more bristles to provide the same density and vice versa.

Thus, when referring to “bristle density,” the subject disclosureencompasses in general the density of bristle material per area with theunderstanding that substitutions may be made in any of the underlyingfactors of bristle density while still falling within the scope of thetechnology herein. The bristle material per area may be based on thediameter of a bristle used in an embodiment multiplied by the numbers ofbristles per unit of area.

Embodiments may include 327 to 653 holes overall on the surfaces 120 and125, and on both sides of the baffle 135. In an exemplary embodiment,there may be approximately 480 holes overall on the surfaces 120 and125, and on both sides of the baffle 135. Embodiments may position holeswith a distance of 1.8 mm to about 0.75 mm between holes. In someembodiments, there may be approximately 7.72 holes per cm² of a surface(120, 125, 135) to approximately 15.38 holes per cm². In an exemplaryembodiment, there are approximately 11.31 holes per cm².

There may be approximately 42 bent bristles/hole. Embodiments mayinclude a range of approximately 25-55 bristles per hole. The bristlethickness may range from 0.01 mm to 0.2 mm. For embodiments with 42bristles per hole, the bristle thickness may be approximately 0.15 mm.In total, there may be approximately 13,100 to 26,120 bent bristle hairsinserted into the tray assembly 110. In an exemplary embodiment, theremay be 19,200 bent bristle hairs inserted into the tray assembly 110. Aswill be seen, the density of bristles is above the conventional densityof bristles in previous systems, which leads to improved coverage of thebrushing area for the surfaces of teeth. With a minimal range of motion,the system 100 is able to brush teeth more efficiently. It will beappreciated that this is a significant improvement in technology sincethe range of space available to move laterally within a user's mouth islimited. The density of bristles 130 in the subject technology allowsfor better brushing effectiveness in the limited range of lateralmovement.

In some embodiments, the inner surface 120 of the outer arcuate wall 115and/or the inner surface 125 of the inner arcuate wall 145 may includeslots. See FIGS. 6 and 7 . As will be appreciated, the slots 112 provideflexure in the tray 110 so that the tray 100 may flex to accommodate thefit of different sized jaws. In some embodiments, the outer arcuate wall115 and the inner arcuate wall 145 may comprise shells of a softplastic, for example, thermoplastic polyurethane, silicone, or athermoplastic elastomer, providing support for holding the innersurfaces 120 and 125. In some embodiments, the inner surfaces 120 and125 may comprise a material that is firmer than the outer arcuate wall115, for example, a hard plastic (which may be for example,polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or a polycarbonateplastic). As may be appreciated, the softer material of the outerarcuate wall 115 and the inner arcuate wall 145 provide a user comfortsince these elements may contact the user's inner cheek surfaces as thebrushing elements 130 engage the user's teeth and gums. In someembodiments, the inner surfaces 120 and 125 may be firm providing asolid support structure for detaining the brushing elements 130 in placeduring use.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-8 , in some embodiments, the tray assembly 100may include a connector 140 coupled to an exterior surface of the outerarcuate wall 115. The connector 140 may be configured to receive theoscillator mechanism discussed below in more detail. For example, someembodiments may include a mating element 142 (for example, a femalereceptacle) which may receive a drive element (described below inreference to FIGS. 9-12 ) that actuates the tray assembly 110.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-12 , the handle assembly 150 is shown accordingto an exemplary embodiment. The handle 150 includes a casing 155 and abutton 160 which when triggered, activates the actuation of the trayassembly 110. The handle 150 may house an oscillator assembly 170. In anexemplary embodiment, the oscillator assembly 170 includes a shaft 172(seen in FIG. 13 ) protruding from a top end of the casing 155. Theshaft 172 may be covered by a sleeve 146. The sleeve 146 may be a maleconnection configured to slide into the opening in the connector 140. Adistal end 148 of the shaft 172 may be configured to mate with themating element 142 in the connector 140 shown in FIG. 8 . The oscillatorassembly 170 may be configured to move the shaft 172 side-to-side, whichwhen the shaft 172 is actuated, drives the tray assembly 110 tooscillate from one side to the other in a lateral direction.

While the above mating configuration was described with the sleeve 146attached to the handle 150, it should be understood that in otherembodiments, the sleeve 146 may instead be in the connector 140 and theend 148 of the shaft 172 is inserted through the interior of the sleeve146 to connect to the mating element 142.

Referring now to FIGS. 13-20 , the oscillator assembly 170 and otherdriving elements inside the casing 155 are shown according to anexemplary embodiment. The actuation from the handle 150 may be driven bya power source 192 which may be a battery, or a storage cell connectedto a wall outlet source for plugged-in embodiments of the system 100.The oscillator assembly 170 may be driven by a motor 165. The motor 165may include a drive shaft 190 (FIG. 19 ) which rotates during operation.The drive shaft 190 may be coupled to a cam assembly 195. The top of thecam assembly 195 may include a cam 185 (FIG. 18 ). The cam 185 maycouple to a proximal end of the shaft 172. The cam 185 may be configuredto, when engaged with the shaft 172, drive the shaft 172 in the lateraldirection when the motor's drive shaft 190 rotates the cam assembly 195.In some embodiments, the oscillator assembly 170 may include a sleeve175 which houses a section of the shaft 172. As shown in FIG. 20 , in anexemplary embodiment, the cam 185 may comprise a projection which isreceived in a pocket of the sleeve 175. As the cam 185 rotates, theprojection causes the sleeve 175 to move laterally following the path ofthe cam rotation. The shaft 172 moves laterally with the sleeve 175. Insome embodiments, the handle 150 may include one or more guide plates180. The guide plates 180 may include slots through which the shaft 172passes through. The guide plate 180 slot(s) may include a width thatdefines a range of movement that limits the travel of the shaft 172 inthe lateral direction. The guide plates 180 ensure that the shaft 172stays within a restricted path of motion. Some embodiments may include acover 194 which prevents water from entering the handle and contactingthe internal elements.

Those of skill in the art would appreciate that various components maybe arranged differently (e.g., arranged in a different order, orpartitioned in a different way) all without departing from the scope ofthe subject technology.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. The previousdescription provides various examples of the subject technology, and thesubject technology is not limited to these examples. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language claims, wherein reference to an element in thesingular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specificallyso stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically statedotherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Pronouns in themasculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., herand its) and vice versa. Headings and subheadings, if any, are used forconvenience only and do not limit the invention.

Terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “above,” “below” and thelike as used in this disclosure should be understood as referring to anarbitrary frame of reference, rather than to the ordinary gravitationalframe of reference. Thus, a top surface, a bottom surface, a frontsurface, and a rear surface may extend upwardly, downwardly, diagonally,or horizontally in a gravitational frame of reference. Similarly, anitem disposed above another item may be located above or below the otheritem along a vertical, horizontal or diagonal direction; and an itemdisposed below another item may be located below or above the other itemalong a vertical, horizontal or diagonal direction.

A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect isessential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to anaspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations.An aspect may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspectmay refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. A phrase such as an“embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment is essential to thesubject technology or that such embodiment applies to all configurationsof the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an embodiment mayapply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments. An embodiment mayprovide one or more examples. A phrase such an embodiment may refer toone or more embodiments and vice versa. A phrase such as a“configuration” does not imply that such configuration is essential tothe subject technology or that such configuration applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to aconfiguration may apply to all configurations, or one or moreconfigurations. A configuration may provide one or more examples. Aphrase such a configuration may refer to one or more configurations andvice versa.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example orillustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” isnot necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otheraspects or designs.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure isexplicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in thecase of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “stepfor.” Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or thelike is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended tobe inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” isinterpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

I/we claim:
 1. A teeth cleaning system comprising: a tray assembly thatis configured to receive teeth of an upper jaw in an upper channel andteeth of a lower jaw in a lower channel; a connector that is coupled toan outer surface of the tray assembly and has an opening definedtherein; and a handle assembly that includes: a shaft that is slidablyengageable with the opening of the connector, a motor with a drive shaftthat rotates during operation, a cam to which the shaft and the driveshaft of the motor are coupled, wherein the cam is configured to drivethe shaft in a lateral direction in response to being rotated by thedrive shaft of the motor, and a guide plate with an aperture definedtherein, wherein the shaft extends through the aperture such that arange of movement in the lateral direction is limited by a width of theaperture.
 2. The teeth cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the openingis derived by an inner surface of the connector, and wherein a matingelement in the form of a female receptacle is centrally located withinthe opening of the connector.
 3. The teeth cleaning system of claim 2,wherein the handle assembly further includes: a casing in which themotor, the cam, the guide plate, and a proximal end of the shaft arehoused, and a sleeve that extends outwardly from the casing, wherein thesleeve houses a distal end of the shaft that is external to the casing,and wherein (i) the sleeve is slidably engageable with opening definedby the inner surface of the connector, and (ii) the distal end of theshaft is slidably engageable with the mating element.
 4. The teethcleaning system of claim 1, wherein the handle assembly furtherincludes: a casing in which the motor, the cam, the guide plate, and aproximal end of the shaft are housed, and a sleeve that houses a portionof the shaft that is internal to the casing.
 5. The teeth cleaningsystem of claim 4, wherein the cam includes a projection that isreceivable in a pocket along an inner surface of the sleeve.
 6. Theteeth cleaning system of claim 5, wherein as the cam rotates, theprojection causes the sleeve to move laterally following a path of thecam rotation, and wherein the shaft moves laterally with the sleeve,thereby causing lateral movement of the tray assembly.
 7. The teethcleaning system of claim 1, wherein the guide plate is one of multipleguide plates, each with an aperture that limits the range of movement inthe lateral direction of a corresponding portion of the shaft.
 8. Theteeth cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the tray assembly has anarcuate form that is defined by an outer arcuate wall and an innerarcuate wall, wherein the upper and lower channels are defined by innersurfaces of the outer and inner arcuate walls and separated by a bafflethat is positioned transversely across the inner surfaces of the outerand inner arcuate walls, and wherein one or more slots are definedthrough the inner surface of the outer arcuate wall and/or the innersurface of the inner arcuate wall to provide flex.
 9. An oscillatorassembly for oscillating a tray assembly of a teeth cleaning system, theoscillator assembly comprising: a shaft with a first end that isengageable with the tray assembly; a sleeve that houses a portion of theshaft; and a cam to which a second end of the shaft is coupled, whereinthe cam includes a projection that is receivable in a pocket along aninner surface of the sleeve, and wherein when the cam is rotated by adrive shaft of a motor, engagement between the projection and the pocketcauses the sleeve to move laterally, thereby causing lateral movement ofthe shaft.
 10. The oscillator assembly of claim 9, wherein the shaftextends through an aperture in a guide plate that limits the lateralmovement of the shaft.
 11. A handle assembly for a teeth cleaning systemthat includes a tray assembly, the handle assembly comprising: a casingwith an opening defined therein; a shaft that extends through theopening in the casing, such that a first end of the shaft is external tothe casing and engageable with the tray assembly; a motor with a driveshaft that rotates during operation; and a cam to which a second end ofthe shaft is coupled, wherein the cam is configured to drive the shaftin a lateral direction in response to being rotated by the drive shaftof the motor.
 12. The handle assembly of claim 11, further comprising: aguide plate with an aperture defined therein, wherein the shaft extendsthrough the aperture such that a range of movement in the lateraldirection is limited by a width of the aperture.
 13. The handle assemblyof claim 12, wherein the aperture is formed to ensure that the shaftstays within a restricted path of motion.
 14. The handle assembly ofclaim 12, wherein the aperture is one of multiple apertures in the guideplate, and wherein each of the multiple apertures is in the form of aslot that the shaft passes through.
 15. The handle assembly of claim 11,further comprising: a cover that is situated in the opening in thecasing and prevents fluid from entering the casing.
 16. The handleassembly of claim 11, further comprising: a power source that providespower to the motor during operation.
 17. The handle assembly of claim11, further comprising: a sleeve that houses a portion of the shaft andhas an inner surface that includes a pocket.
 18. The handle assembly ofclaim 17, wherein the pocket is sized to receive a projection along anouter surface of the cam, and wherein when the cam is rotated by thedrive shaft of the motor, engagement between the projection and thepocket causes the sleeve to move laterally, thereby causing lateralmovement of the shaft.
 19. The handle assembly of claim 11, furthercomprising: a sleeve that extends outwardly from the casing, encirclingthe opening through which the shaft extends, wherein the sleeve and thefirst end of the shaft are separately engageable with the tray assembly.20. The handle assembly of claim 11, further comprising: a buttonaccessible along an outer surface of the casing that, when triggered,activates operation of the motor, so as to cause actuation of the trayassembly.